Wife who nipped out to do weekly shop came back with a pony

WHEN it comes to providing a stable home for horses, animal lover Jackie Winston-Jones is prepared to go the extra furlong.

Jackie has turned her lounge into a home for her latest rescued pony Jaz – complete with straw.

The mother-of-four has turned her lounge into a home for her latest rescued pony Jaz – complete with straw.

Mrs Winston-Jones, 50, bought eight unwanted animals but ran out of space for them all.

Now she is planning to start a horse sanctuary and save as many ponies as she can after going on a spending spree at her local livestock market at Beeston, near Nantwich, Cheshire.

She said: “My husband Laurie couldn’t believe his eyes when I turned up with my first horse Maid.

“I’d set out to do the weekly shop but then suddenly remembered it was the day of the auction where the horses go under the hammer for next to nothing.

“A friend at the sale loaned me her horse box and I took Maid home with me. When Laurie saw what I’d done he just said, ‘You’re crazy – instead of doing the shopping you’ve come back with a horse’.”

Last week she went back to the auction – and this time came back with eight ponies.

Among them was Jaz, a 12-year-old former riding school pony with a sackful of winning rosettes to her name.

With just £200 of her own cash in her pocket, Mrs Winston-Jones arrived at the sale looking to perhaps buy one or two. But when she saw the horses she decided to act. She added: “I couldn’t just stand by. I didn’t have enough cash but my son Matthew who was with me dashed to the cashpoint and drew out what he could. I paid for one by credit card and there was a friend there who said she would buy a horse if I looked after it.”

Jackie saved Jaz from the slaughter man

My husband Laurie couldn’t believe his eyes when I turned up with my first horse Maid.

Jackie Winston-Jones

Mrs Winston-Jones, who runs kennels at her farm, said she had the horses checked over by a vet and they were all passed fit. She plans to set up a charity which will own the horses but loan them to carers who have been fully vetted and are responsible.

She said: “I can’t look after them all on just two to three acres but this way we can monitor the horses at their new homes and because the charity owns them we can make sure they are well-kept.

“Only trusted keepers will be allowed to have them. The idea is to set up lifetime homes for them. Now, we’re desperately trying to re-home them through our Facebook page.”

With Jaz in her living room, Mrs Winston-Jones is busy launching her charity. She added: “It’s already growing through word of mouth with well-wishers arriving with feed and horse blankets and odd bits of kit.

“But the loose box I’ve got is too small for eight so Jaz has to bed down in the lounge until we sort out more space. I don’t mind, it’s worth it just to see her happy.

“It is such a shame these horses are cast off like this. There wasn’t really a bad one among them. Yes, they were scruffy, but with a bit of loving care, good food and water they can be brought back to health.”